South Korea's health authorities said Sunday they are considering introducing a coronavirus testing kit that could produce results in about one hour for emergency operations or women in labor.

Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), told reporters that authorities are reviewing a plan to allow doctors to use the one-hour polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing kits in case of emergency.

"We are considering applying the kits to emergency operations or emergency childbirths," Jeong said.

Jeong said health authorities are also considering using the faster testing kit for ordinary people. (Yonhap)